Apple and BlackBerry the choice of corporate networks

An IT security solutions company recently conducted a survey of 768 IT professionals in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, which revealed Apple iOS is the most commonly used mobile platform in corporate environments. The Research in Motion BlackBerry came in a close second place.

Apple iOS devices were used by 30 percent of the participants. Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed selected BlackBerry, and Android devices followed, with 21 percent.

Android was seen as the least secure platform, posing the greatest risks of security problems on corporate networks. BlackBerry is seen as the most secure platform despite coming in second place to the Apple iOS. The vulnerability of Android compared to the alternative operating systems was also reflected in another recent report.

"Last quarter the Android mobile operating system (OS) became the most 'popular' platform for new malware," the report stated. "This quarter Android became the exclusive platform for all new mobile malware. The Symbian OS (for Nokia handsets) remains the platform with the all-time greatest number of malware, but Android is clearly today’s target."

Other key findings of the IT professionals survey were that 89 percent of enterprises have mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets, that are connected to a corporate network with company data stored on them. Most companies reported the Apple iOS as the mobile platform used, while 65 percent of organizations reported allowing employees to bring their own devices to the workplace, which is a trend becoming more and more popular.

In addition, 65 percent of corporate networks allow personal mobile devices to connect to them, according to the report, and 78 percent of respondents said there are more than twice as many personal devices connecting to corporate networks this year than two years ago.

Seventy-one percent of respondents reported that mobile devices have contributed to increased security incidents, identifying the Android mobile platform as the riskiest to be used as part of a BYOD policy.

Given these numbers, it's no surprise that more companies are looking to secure a reliable mobile device management solution to protect themselves from any malware attacks or other security incidents. Still, the trend toward mobile device usage for business purposes is only gaining momentum. Even the medical field is now adopting policies that will allow health officials to use mobile devices to access patient's personal medical records and private information, demonstrating that security is taking significant strides to keep up with the demand for a mobile workforce in all industries.